Nintendo Switch is celebrating an envious fan-following across the globe. And this fact is reflected in the ‘Out of Stock’ status inventories show on many online shopping portals. So this obviously irritates many true-blue gamers, who are eagerly waiting to get their hands on Nintendo Switch. So until the stock is piled up on portals, you need to wait or turn your smartphone into a Nintendo Switch.

But wait! Your smartphone will act as Nintendo Switch and you may not get to enjoy all the features of a Switch on the phone. So, your smartphone is almost acting as Nintendo Switch. This comes with a few upgrades to your current smartphone. If you own a high-end phone, you can do more than just playing Candy Crush Saga or Subway Surfer. With a robust processor, you can easily turn your iPhone or Android Smartphone almost into a Nintendo Switch.

Using a smartphone as a Nintendo Switch will surely save your bucks you might have spent on Nintendo Switch accessories. Moreover, you are not required to transfer Nintendo Switch games to a microSD card as your phone may have expandable memory of up to 256GB. Since time is a crucial phenomenon to consider, this phone-cum-switch thingummy will help you save time that you could have spent to set up Nintendo Switch (yeah, it’s a tiresome, long process).

Your first upgrades are controllers. On your Switch, you use Joy Con, but on your smartphone, you need controllers as you can’t play all games with swiping or tapping the touch screen.

How to Turn a iPhone or Android Smartphone into an almost Nintendo Switch

Switch Style Controllers

Gamevice Controller (iOS)

The form-fitting Gamevice is the best controller available on the market. This controller offers you an analog joystick, a directional pad, and four action buttons. Gamevice provides you a good advantage: it can be connected with your device’s lightning port and therefore, you don’t have to use battery-consuming Bluetooth option.

MOGA Ace power controller boasts a rechargeable battery that keeps your smartphone running longer. The only drawback of MOGA controller is that it is compatible with older iPhones, therefore, you cannot connect your latest iPhone 7 or 7 Plus and a little older devices like iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.

8Bitdo Zero is extremely compact controller for your iOS and Android phone. It is often observed that the two controllers of Switch have been slid off during the game play, and hence, this 8Bitdo Zero controller is the best option. This gamepad controller is compatible with any Bluetooth enabled wireless device and provides basic controls like shoulder buttons, a directional pad, and four action buttons.

SteelSeries is a popular name and therefore, you can rely on this controller. Though it is not a good option if you are travelling a lot, it performs well when your phone is connected to a TV for gaming. Stratus XL offers you more than 40 hours of game play; it has got clickable joysticks and pressure sensitive buttons.

Nimbus is the wireless controller for iOS devices, and it is equivalent of Stratus XL (see above). You will enjoy the same results and pleasure as you did with Stratus XL. To differentiate, SteelSeries added a feature that helps you charge this controller with the same lightning cable as you plug your iPhone into every day. Moreover, it boasts an exclusive menu button for navigating iOS or Apple TV.

Both the controllers offer dual mode support (Bluetooth keyboard and touch screen simulation) and both devices are compatible with iOS & macOS, Android, and Windows. The retro design of SNES will easily impress you along with its original push button feeling. You can connect two SNES 30 or NES controllers with a single iOS device with exclusive multiplayer support.

Nintendo Switch’s ability to eliminate the handset and take the experience on bigger screen of TV is amazing. The only drawback is the Switch’s dependence on dock, but then there are some smarter ways to connect your smartphone (wirelessly) to a TV.

There are many merits and demerits of connecting your smartphone with a TV. First, you have to tether your phone with an HDMI cable (go and tangle with the wire). Here, users have to go for some costly hardware upgrades in the absence of strong wireless network in home, or a TV that assists streaming from mobile phones.

A video adapter can be connected with your TV but you have to deal with HDMI and charging cables. However, video adapters offer excellent frame rates always; moreover, you can play games on any TV – at hotel room or at friend’s home.

Wireless Options

Apple TV (iOS)

The price of Apple TV can change your decision to buy a Nintendo Switch console. At $149, Apple TV is your perfect choice to stream contents on a larger screen. The only thing you need to take care of is wireless router, which should be running smoothly; otherwise your gaming experience will be ruined.

Want to go for a cheaper option than Apple TV? If you have an Android phone, go for Google Chromecast, which is available at dirt cheap $35. The device is small and doesn’t attract unnecessary attention.

When you connect your Android phone with TV through Google Chromecast Plus, it can stream 4K results, which is a far cry for your Nintendo Switch. With its Ethernet port, you can connect directly to your router. This will put fewer burdens on your wireless network and provide you solid frame rates while streaming your contents.

There are not many wired options for iOS devices; for iPhone users, they can buy this official lightning to HDMI adapter. One of the glaring features of this product is that it has an additional USB-C port so you can power your device while it is connected with a TV via lighting port.

This USB-C digital AV multiport adapter is the right investment as Apple doesn’t support USB-C yet. While it is not in use of connecting an Android phone to TV for gaming, you can always use its USB – A port to connect older peripherals to your new laptop.

Not ready to shell out premium on Apple’s product? Use Monoprice USB-C to HDMI & USB-C Dual Port Adapter. Avail important basic features, which include an HDMI port, and an extra USB-C port for charging.

Now start downloading your favourite games from iTunes Store and Google Play Store on the respective devices. Nintendo Switch offers only two games that are not available on any store – Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Other than the two, App Store and Play Store are packed with thousands of brilliant games to play on iPhone and Android devices.

Which games will you play on your makeshift Nintendo Switch? Will you turn your smartphone into an almost Nintendo Switch? Share your feedback with us on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.